'East of Eden by John Steinbeck Essay\r'

'Published in 1952, easterly of enlightenment is a novel written by bath Steinbeck, a Nobel winner). It tells the trading floor of the intertwined lives of 2 families- the Trasks and the Hamiltons amidst a setting of California’s Salinas Valley (Steinbeck, 2003). The novel follows the stories of these two American families from the Civil state of war to World War I (2003). It is said that the novel, which was published ten days before Steinbeck received a Novel, drew inspiration from the Bible and was dedicated to Steinbeck’s sons- Thom and John IV (Pearson, 1995).\r\nThe title itself was culled from a Biblical verse, depicting Cain as he set out in the sphere of Nod, east of Eden (Genesis 4: 16 t exterminateer International Version). Told in third-person point of view by a narrator who sometimes offers annotations, swings among characters’ vantage points and veritable(a) suspends the story with snippets of human history, East of Eden tackles the unive rsal proposition theme of solid vs. villainy, the fall of exaltation and eve and the bitter enmity of Abel and Cain. Dramatizing the societal sins of Salinas Valley and the individualistic members of the Trask and Hamilton clans, the novel aims to resolve the dilemma on how evil may be overcome by choice.\r\nSpanning the closure between the American Civil War and the end of the First World War, it dovetails the lives of two brothers- the gentle Adam and the rough Charles. Adam marries the scheming Cathy who deceives him and ran off with Charles on the night of their wedding (Steinbeck, 2003). After giving hold to twin boys, Aron and Cal, Cathy leaves her children to Adam and returns to a life of debauchery. The ambition between the siblings reignites as they vie for their father’s attention and approval (2003). The story is beautiful and distasteful as it unravels the universal problem man has to introduce: choose to be good or detain on the dark side.\r\nThe t sup erstar is somber, philosophical and perhaps even propitious. Showing how illustrious as a writer should be, Steinbeck is able to create characters with various tempers, differentiate them realistically as possible, polar opposites as one may say. There is Adam, who may very fountainhead be the archetype of good intentions and Cathy, the scheming damage whom Adam fell in love with. It is also Adam who has been deceived the most, reminiscent of the betrayal of the serpent in the biblical Eden. The novel is peppered with shades of Cain and Abel.\r\nIn the alike(p) vein, the agony of pargonntal rejection, an issue touched with the story of the biblical brothers, is again explored in the novel, like the bankers acceptance of Adam’s puppy gift and the rejection of Charles’ jab gift, reminiscent of Abel’s accepted gift and the rejection of Cain. Cyrus Trask raise Adam over Charles, for no distinct reason. subsequently on, Adam repeats the cycle with his knowl edge sons, favoring Aron over Cal. end-to-end the novel, the tension is palpable, giving the reader the proper input signal to continue reading. It also helps that the setting, Salinas Valley is actually a real place, giving a pragmatic constituent to the novel.\r\nThe course used by Steinbeck are light-colored to read and understand , and is not loaded with so many symbols that would make the reader spend 98% figuring out what the symbols stood for rather than letting the words flow and grasping its essence. There are no flowery words, either. This is a good sign on the part of Steinbeck, allowing the readers to comprehend the gist without resulting in a head ache. The flow of the story is also commendable, oddly as it expands from 1860 to 1918. The incorporation of â€Å"timshel” is also appropriate, fortifying the theme of good winning over evil, of human making the office to decide.\r\nEast of Eden is grounded in pragmatism and the intervention of good and evil ma y be frank but it speaks one universal truth: that thither is good and there is evil and that human beings are flawed, perhaps influenced by their genes or shaped by circumstances, but they have the choice whether to follow that trace and repeat the mistake or make their own paths and break the cycle.\r\nReferences\r\nPearson, P. (1995). East of Eden. Retrieved February 17, 2009, from National Steinbeck Center Website: http://www. steinbeck. org .html Steinbeck, J. (2003). East of Eden. New York: Penguin Books.\r\n'